D90 suddenly stopped working. Need help please

[pony]

I just stepped outside to snap a few pics of the snow with my D90. Came back inside and went to shoot a few pics from the balcony and my camera is not working. The viewfinder is black and the camera does not turn off. I tried switching lenses and that does not change anything.
What the heck is going on? I am panicking!

 

[RockstarPhotography]

maybe cause of the cold? something fogged up or got moisture in it? I would let it warm up and see what happens

 

[Pepperpwni]

wait.. the camera doesn't turn off or turn on?

 

[pony]

will not turn off. I switch it to off and the display on top stays lit up.
I was only outside for 2 or 3 minutes. It is cold, but not freakishly so. I have certainly shot in colder.

 

[Trever1t]

take out the battery.
let it come to ambient temperature.

try again if there's no condensation present?

 

[pony]

took the battery out and put it back in.
The shutter released 8 or 10 times fast, but the camera seems to be working now.
What the heck happened? I need to avoid doing that ever again, made me really nervous

 

[o hey tyler]

Well, you could give it some time to dry out and come to ambient temperature next time you pull the battery...

Condensation inside your camera is bad, even worse when it connects battery terminals. Put it in a ziplock bag when you get inside with the battery removed if you shoot outdoors in the cold for a bit.

 

[pony]

Well, you could give it some time to dry out and come to ambient temperature next time you pull the battery...

Condensation inside your camera is bad, even worse when it connects battery terminals. Put it in a ziplock bag when you get inside with the battery removed if you shoot outdoors in the cold for a bit.

I am so poor weather photography ignorant, so forgive the stupid questions...
What does putting the camera in a ziploc do?
How would I get condensation in the camera?

Thanks

 

[phiya]

rapid changes in temperature namely going from a cold environment to a warm one can cause condensation to form on anything. Ever drive your car in the summer and notice water drip when you park? It's from the Air Conditioning condenser being very cold but out in warm weather. Same can happen to your camera if it is cooled by the weather and then brought inside into the warmth. Putting the camera in a zip lock bag minimizes the amount of air that can reach it, air carries moisture which condensates on a much colder object. So the ziplock will effectively minimize condensation to a non-harmful amount.

 

[Canon AE-1]

It was prolly condensation and getting some moisture on the processor could have caused it to lock up, letting it sit with out a battery and letting it clear out and reset done the trick. No big deal.

 

[Stradawhovious]

Personally I think the ziplock is overkill, but you can never be too careful. The key is to make sure that the camera comes to ambient temperature gradually, especially from cold to warm. This is true with lots of sensetive things. Cameras and Musical instruments are the ones I get concerned about.

My camera case is a heavily padded backpack (Lowepro compu-day pack) that is with me when I'm shooting outside in sub comfortable temperatures. I take the card out of the camera (so I can use it right away) and put the camera in the pack outside.... so the pack and the camera are the same temperature. Then the camera stays zipped inside the pack for a few hours after going indoors or in a heated car etc. If it comes to temp gradually you won't get the condensation.

Sounds like a pain in the ass, but it's weel worth it as you seem to be discovering..... hopefully the easy way.

My .02, feel free to ignore it. Most people do.

(I don't blame them. I don't even listen to me most of the time.)

 

[pony]

doesn't sound like a pain at all.
I've had enough excitement for today though. I will be using my crappy P&S to document the ridiculous accumulation of snow for the rest of the day here.

Thanks all for the advice

 

[spacefuzz]

My camera case is a heavily padded backpack (Lowepro compu-day pack) that is with me when I'm shooting outside in sub comfortable temperatures. I take the card out of the camera (so I can use it right away) and put the camera in the pack outside.... so the pack and the camera are the same temperature. Then the camera stays zipped inside the pack for a few hours after going indoors or in a heated car etc. If it comes to temp gradually you won't get the condensation.

I do the same thing with my pack.

 

[vtf]

Been in and out of the house all day snapping pictures in the snow and -20f degree with no ill effect on my lil' Canon Rebel. Had to wipe off the moisture off the outside quite abit. This sounds odd. Knock on wood.

 

[KmH]

The black viewfinder means the mirror was up.

The air always has some amount of moisture in it, and so will the air inside the camera.

Many people run a humidifier in the house in the winter, because the colder air is the less moisture it can hold.

When you came back in after being out in the cold what moist air there was in the camera condensed out and became liquid water. It re-evaporated and your camera started working again.

I keep 2 reusable dessicant cannisters in my camera bag to absorb any moisture, similar to these:
Adorama Silica Gel with Indicator in a Reuseable Canister.

In your D90 users manual on page 243 it notes: Do not store your camera

• in locations that are pooly ventilated or that are subject to humidities of over 60%
• next to equipmeent that produces strong electromagnetic fields like televisions, radioa, computer displays, computers.
• or at temperatures exceeding 122°F or 14°F.